Comparative analyses of rice husk cellulose fiber and kaolin particulate reinforced thermoplastic cassava starch biocomposites using the solution casting technique

摘要

The potential of biodegradable packaging materials from thermoplastic cassava starch (TPS) reinforced with rice husk cellulose fibers (RHCF) and kaolin particulates (KP) using the solution casting method has been presented. This involved the blending of TPS and RHCF/KP in a plasticizer of similar to 4 ml of glycerol and similar to 45 ml of distilled water at 125 degrees C and stirred at 60 rpm until a gel was formed. The gel was cast into sheets and bone-shaped tensile specimens and allowed to dry for 5 days and characterized. The results show a semicrystalline structure for TPS with an similar to 36% increase in crystallinity after reinforcement. The O-H bond stretching and the C-H bending bonds due to starch-glycerol reactions were the common functional groups in TPS-RHCF biocomposites, and Si-O-C bonds were characteristics of the silica phase in the kaolin. The water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) reduced to similar to 34% with KP reinforcements from similar to 238 g/m.day to 177 g/m. day and to similar to 74 g/m.day and -164% for TPS-RHCF. The strength increased with up to 50 wt% kaolin content; similar to 0.96 MPa yield strength and similar to 2.60 MPa ultimate tensile strength (UTS) were recorded. For the RHCF reinforced composites, TPS50 wt% also showed high strengths of similar to 0.96 MPa yield strength and similar to 3.50 MPa UTS. The WVTR reduced as content of kaolin was increased. Typically, from 0 to 30 wt% volume fraction of kaolin, the WVTR was reduced by similar to 34% to 177 g/m. day for TPS-kaolin and by similar to 164% to similar to 74 g/m.day in TPS-RHCF. The as-prepared biocomposites have potential as good packaging materials.